Skip to main content
Find a Lawyer

District of Columbia Code Division I. Government of District. § 5-333.09. Preliminary inquiries relating to First Amendment assemblies.

Current as of January 01, 2024 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(a) A MPD member may initiate a preliminary inquiry relating to a First Amendment assembly, for public safety reasons, without authorization, as follows:

(1) Members may gather public information regarding future First Amendment assemblies and review notices and approved assembly plans.

(2) Members may communicate overtly with the organizers of a First Amendment assembly concerning the number of persons expected to participate, the activities anticipated, and other similar information regarding the time, place, and manner of the assembly.

(3) Members may communicate overtly with persons other than the organizers of a First Amendment assembly to obtain information relating to the number of persons expected to participate in the assembly.

(4) Members may collect information on prior First Amendment assemblies to determine what police resources may be necessary to adequately protect participants, bystanders, and the general public, and to enforce all applicable laws.

(b) Filming and photographing First Amendment assemblies may be conducted by MPD members for the purpose of documenting violations of law and police actions, as an aid to future coordination and deployment of police units, and for training purposes. Filming and photographing of First Amendment assemblies may not be conducted for the purpose of identifying and recording the presence of individual participants who are not engaged in unlawful conduct.

Previous Part of Code Next Part of Code
Back to Chapter List

Cite this article: FindLaw.com - District of Columbia Code Division I. Government of District. § 5-333.09. Preliminary inquiries relating to First Amendment assemblies. - last updated January 01, 2024 | https://codes.findlaw.com/dc/division-i-government-of-district/dc-code-sect-5-333-09/

FindLaw Codes may not reflect the most recent version of the law in your jurisdiction. Please verify the status of the code you are researching with the state legislature before relying on it for your legal needs.

Was this helpful?

Welcome to FindLaw's Cases & Codes

A free source of state and federal court opinions, state laws, and the United States Code. For more information about the legal concepts addressed by these cases and statutes, visit FindLaw’s Learn About the Law.

Go to Learn About the Law

Latest Blog Posts

For Legal Professionals

Learn About The Law

Get help with your legal needs

FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.

Go to Learn About the Law

Need to Find an Attorney?

Search our directory by legal issue

Enter information in one or both fields (Required)

Copied to clipboard